She Loves You
by mollyconnelly
Summary: Lucy bares some serious news for Jude. Jude isn't exactly sure how to handle this and the tension of their lifestyles may take a serious toll on them both. Jude/Lucy. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

The empty canvas that propped itself on the easel seemed to only draw more blanks to Jude. The white slate haunted his creativity. Biting on his bottom lip, he tore his eyes away from the canvas to pour himself another drink. Whiskey on the rocks. Jude by no means was proud of the addiction he had learned to pick up. It did numb his pain. That seemed good enough.

He downed the five shots in one gulp before returning his eyes to the canvas. It was mocking him, laughing at the lack of inspiration he had over the past two weeks. Even through his anger and sorrow he could not pick up a brush and let it out. He had became that numb. Nothing could motivate him and his boss, Desmond, was beginning to become a little disgruntled by Jude's block.

All he could think about was Lucy.

Jude's lips pucked tightly as he took in a deep breath, holding back the tears that filled his brown eyes. He had tried so hard to let his mind stray from Lucy but everything seemed to just revert back to her. When her presence was still familiar in this apartment. The early mornings waking to her voice serenading the new day as she prepared herself for it. Many cool nights were spent together in the throws of young love and lust. Most of the reason why Jude had taken a like to sleeping on the couch.

It just hurt too much.

The whiskey made Jude's skin fell as though it was an elastic heater, making him uncomfortable under his cotton shirt and denim pants. Removing his shirt, he stumbled to his feet while tossing the shirt to the side of the room.

"Why won't you get out of my bloody head?" Jude snarled to no one. His eyes wondered the walls, scanning all of the pictures he had sketched of Lucy. It didn't help that he refused to take them down, even when Max said it would be for the best. For the best? Jude had thought to himself. It was the only items he had to remember her by. Why was that for the best?

Gripping the railing tightly, he made his way down the staircase. The whole apartment seemed to be suffocating in silence. The wood panels creaked under his feet as he shuffled into the kitchen.

This apartment was once filled with laughter. The aura of happiness seemed to have stained the walls. Now that was long gone. The filthy walls seemed more depressing than they had ever in Jude's eyes.

Max peeked through the window of the door that separated the two flats to see Jude make his way into the kitchen. Sadie leaned on the wall beside the blond outlaw as he watched his friend slowly crumble.

"I hate seeing him like this." Max told Sadie with his eyes still glued to the inside of his friend's apartment. Sadie put on a sad smile as she placed her hand on Max's shoulder.

"Healing from a former young love is something that takes lots of time. Lots of patience. As much as he says he doesn't, he needs you right now Max." Max sighed and fell back from the window, running a hand through locks of greasy blond hair.

"I don't know what to say to him." Max admitted. "It's difficult when it happens to be your best friend and sister that break up." Sadie turned from the window and Max and walked deeper into her own apartment.

"Remember the two words you just said." Sadie pushed back her thick curls off of her shoulders. "Best friend." She grabbed her purse and was out the door before Max could speak up once more.

Lucy opened the door and was surprised to see that Max was the one to knock on her door at nine in the morning. Max glanced back at the two girls who sat sat on the couch, sharing a joint.

"Max!" Lucy smiled widely, her eyes slightly glazed from the marijuana. She wrapped her arms tightly around her brother. Max could smell the mixture of shampoo and smoke that attached itself to Lucy's hair. After he returned the embrace, Lucy invited him inside of the apartment she was now staying at.

"This is Shelia and Elizabeth, two of the people I stay with now." Lucy introduced Max to her flat mates. The two girls waved as their eyes stripped Max of all his clothing. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Max whispered, "Um, can I talk to you alone for a second?"

"It's Jude." Max said as soon as Lucy closed the door to her bedroom. Lucy's blue eyes moved away from her brother and stared at the floor.

"He's a mess. I mean. . We don't know what to do. It's not even near noon and he's already plastered." Max pleaded with his sister.

"Are you trying to make me feel obligated to go back to him?" She snapped.

"No. I'm trying to understand what the hell he did that was so bad to leave him in the condition he is in now."

"He was in that 'condition' before I even left!" Lucy quoted the word with bunny ears.

"So is that why you left?"

"It could be some of the reason, yes." Lucy idly toyed with the beads strung from the window pane. Twirling it between two fingers, she tried hard not to think about Jude's presence but it was so hard not to. The sweet smile that made her heart drop every time she visioned it in her mind. The tears that formed in his eyes as he had stood on top of that building, singing out to her; finding her.

"This isn't like you, Lucy." Max shook his head. "This isn't the little sister I grew up with." Water began to linger in her ocean blue eyes as Max spoke close to the heart.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Lucy asked quietly before she turned to face him. "I think you need to know something."


	2. Chapter 2

How could she keep this from him?

This was the only question that ran through Max's mind over and over again as he made his way back to the apartment. It was understandable that she was worried and scared but to keep this kind of information away from Jude just seemed ridiculous if not selfish.

Max kept his hands deep in his coat pockets as he replied the conversation with Lucy in his mind. In a sense, he was jumping up and down inside with happiness.

_An Uncle! _His mind shouted through all of the confusion. _I'm going to be an Uncle! If it's a boy I can teach him all the things I did to annoy his mother. _

On the other hand, he knew Lucy should not have this baby on her own. She did not agree or disagree that this was her intent. Max was afraid it would be. Of course they are both young and he knew their mother was going to have a heart attack when she found out. Lucy was only nineteen years old.

It was going to be a kid raising a kid. She needed help. Max promised her that he would always be there for her but pleaded her to let Jude know. It was his kid just as much as it would be hers.

Walking into the dim apartment, it seemed almost surreal. The paintings on the walls were beginning to fade just like Jude's spirit. "Jude, you home?" Max called out and it seemed to have echoed through the dead silence. Max took off his coat and laid it across the chair before venturing further into the apartment.

There was a noise coming from Jude's studio. It almost sounded like a slurred argument. Inching closer, Max paid close attention to the voice on the other side of the door. It was Jude's deep accented voice complaining about a painting. Complaining to himself.

"No.. no! You hadn't got her eyes right, ye' twit." Max opened the door enough to peek inside. Jude was standing in front of a canvas. There he had painted a portrait of Lucy. So were the other three around him. Each painting that represented Lucy had the eyes covered with a thick line of black paint. Max frowned as he watched Jude do the same with the painting in front of him. With a quick strike of his brush, her piercing blue eyes became nothing but a censor bar.

"Jude?" Max said calmly. Jude's movements stopped but he did not turn in his direction. He stood there as his body waved back and forth on his heels. It wasn't till then that Max realized Jude had snatched down nearly all of the sketches of Lucy that hung on the walls.

"I. . you know, I'll just talk to you tomorrow." Max pulled himself from the doorway and took a few steps back. "When you feel better."

The next morning was cold enough to keep them clammed inside of their apartments with no will or motivation to enter into the frost. Though it was not snowing it was definitely cold enough that the possibility was believable. It was nearly three in the evening and Sadie and JoJo still hadn't emerged from their bedroom. Max sat in the main room and watched the T.V. with little interest. His mind still was stuck on the news Lucy gave him and how bad he wanted to enlighten Jude with it.

Jude came into the room quietly as he tucked his thick jacket tightly against his body. Crossing his arms over his chest, he took a seat beside Max. It was obvious that he was hung over though he did not appear as if he had been drinking. Wither it showed or not, this pleased Max.

"Rise and shine, my fellow ray of sunshine." Max said with a smile. Jude huffed up a fake, thin smile but not once looked at Max. "You sleep okay?" He continued.

"I didn't sleep at all, really." His voice was quiet and weak. Jude's eyes stayed glued to the T.V. even when it was obvious that he wasn't watching a single thing on the screen. Max nodded and stayed quiet after that.

"Sorry 'bout yesterday." Jude apologized. Max shrugged and leaned more against the cushions of the couch. "Don't worry about it, man. You're going through a rough time – it's understandable. Although we all hate seeing you like this." Max fessed up. Jude nodded in a sad agreement.

"I know. It's just --" Jude's explanation was cut off by several knocks at the front door of the flat. Max and Jude glanced to each other for a split moment before Max stood to his feet and made his way for the door.

Max wasn't too surprised to see Lucy on the other side of the door. Proof that his guilt trip he had given to his younger sister had possible worked it's magic for the best. She wore a thick coat that hung down to her knees with a scarf wrapped around her neck to protect it from the frost-bit wind. "Mind if I come in?" Her teeth clattered the whole time she spoke.

"Yeah! Sure." Max backed away to let Lucy slip inside. Before anyone in the apartment could say one word, Jude and Lucy automatically made eye contact with each other. Both of their faces drained with color and hurt and guilt replaced the once content expressions.

"It's about time ye' made your way to me neck of the woods." Jude's voice was harsh yet still gentle as it always was with Lucy. The cognitive accent of the former Liverpudlian was still enough to send shivers down her spine like a string pulled too tight. Max excused himself from the room and into the den to avoid the climax of this estranged meeting.

"I needed some time away." Lucy cut eye contact and kept her eyes busy as she removed her mesh hat and scarf. "Sorry to upset you." She said. Her words were flat and this only rustled Jude's anger that had been simmering beneath enough alcohol to kill most men and tubes and tubes of paint. His eyes narrowed as he stood to his feet, dark eyes cutting into Lucy's fidgeting frame. "Sorry to upset me?" Jude laughed in disgust. "Bollocks. Ye' have no sympathy about just disappearing into thin air and you know it." Lucy followed Jude into the bedroom that once belonged to both of them to continue their dispute. "Did you think just leaving like that was hard on me as well?" Lucy spatted.

Jude turned to face her, his nose only inches from her own. "At least you knew you were leaving." In all reality, Jude wanted to grab each of her cheeks and pull her into a kiss. He wanted to wrap his arms around her with pure glee since now he knew she was doing alright and had finally showed back up to the apartment though his hurt would not allow it.

"I had a reason, you know." Lucy defended herself as Jude took a seat at his desk. It was littered with papers and clustered with empty and half-empty bottles of various liquors. Lucy propped herself in the doorway and watched as Jude idly began drawing swirls on the paper with a small piece of charcoal. Anything he could do to keep from looking into her eyes.

"What reason is a good enough to leave without saying one word? You could of at least jotted down on paper you were leavin'."

Lucy's mind went elsewhere as she examined Jude's sorry excuse for a head of hair. The back appeared to be exploding into some sort of rat's nest. A thin smile hid behind Lucy's eyes at the thought of Jude – happy that is.

"I didn't know how to tell you." Lucy tugged herself back onto the conversation.

"That's why I said you could have wrote it down." Sarcasm overflowed his mouth only when he was upset. This triggered Lucy to suck up all her fears and worries and tell Jude the truth.

"Writing it down would have been just as hard as saying it. Anyways, I wasn't even talking about that." Lucy pushed herself away from the doorway and sat down in the empty seat beside Jude. Nervously, she reached out and placed her hand on his leg so cautiously as if his body temperature would burn the tips of her fingers. Jude felt a wave of heat flush his body that was not the familiar warmth of whiskey but the fevered feeling of a lover's touch. His eyes danced about the room before finally settling on Lucy's hand.

"The reason I left was more complicated than just cold feet about a new lover. I have come to turns with Daniel's death so it had nothing to with my sudden leave." Tears hung heavy on her eyelids as she gripped Jude's leg that caused him to place his hand on top of hers without a second thought. No matter how angry he may be with her there was no way he could keep himself from not comforting her when she began to cry.

"I believe it shouldn't be complicated enough to not tell me." Jude spoke in a whisper. Lucy sniffled and wiped her redden nose with the back of her hand.

"I'm scared that you're going to leave me." Her voice cracked. Jude raised his brows at her ridiculous suggestion and reached over to place both of his hands on her soft cheeks. The inside of his palms were rough from the years of working out in the Ship yards. "Lu, listen to me. I'm here until you're done with me. I'm not gonna' leave ye'." With one finger he gently pushed back a stray hair behind her ear.

"So tell me."

Lucy starred hard into Jude's anxious eyes, debating with herself wither she should tell him the news right now or not. _Now or never_, a small voice inside of Lucy told herself. With a deep breath, she spoke those words that made Jude limply fall from his seat to only collapse onto the hardwood floor.

"I'm pregnant."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took so long to update this once more! I can only write this while I'm at work since there is a lack of Internet at my flat until later on next week.**

**Please comment! **

**Also, thank you for everyone who has commented! I know I am dirty when it comes to cliff hangers but it keeps you interested, no? ;) **

Jude laid on the floor as his eyes were as wide as saucers while staring at the ceiling, his breathing heavy. He scrambled to his feet and put both of his hands on Lucy's face.

"You're _what_?"

"Pregnant."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Jude!" Lucy exclaimed with laughter. Jude heaved a nervous smile on his face as tears welted in his eyes. His nervous hands ventured all over Lucy's face and in her hair as he attempted to absorb the news that was just given to him. For comfort, Lucy placed her small hands on the back of Jude's head, entwining her fingers with his thick hair.

"I'm gonna'.. I'm.. I'm going to be a dad!" Jude shouted. This drew Max's attention from the other room and he entered the room just to catch the reaction of his friend. Jude franticly scanned Lucy's eyes, tears now escaping his, for something even he was not sure of. This was large enough news to sober him from any alcoholic drink he has ever let drain down his throat. The hang over he previously had seemed to disappear as soon as Lucy spoke.

Jude wrapped his arms around Lucy and lifted her into the air, spinning her once before setting her down safely back onto her feet. The bliss on Lucy's face could be considered indescribable. She had worked herself up into such a worry over Jude's reaction that the relief she felt when seeing his joy was like a bag of bricks removed from both shoulders.

Max cleared his throat to give signal that he was now in the room.

"Did you hear?" Jude exclaimed. Max only nodded with a small smile.

Jude let go of Lucy and paced the hardwood floor. How were you suppose to take this news? He thought to himself. As much as it excited him it also scared him shitless. He had never had a father for a role model or a guideline on how to raise a child. The only thing he knew was that his father had abandoned his mother when she was still pregnant with him. This made him sick enough to his stomach to rot the smile away from his face yet he continued to pace. Both Lucy and Max watched with curious eyes as Jude's demeanor completely changed in a matter of seconds.

Jude finally calmed himself enough to stop and he turned to face the two siblings. Nervously, he bit down on his bottom lip as his eyes glanced from one to the other.

"What is it, Jude?" Max asked. He entered the room completely and stood next to Lucy who refused to look away from Jude. She knew that there was something manifesting inside of his mind but could not pick apart what it was to the tee.

"What if I'm not a good father?" Jude asked the two of them though he wasn't looking for an answer. It was something that could not be told until he began to raise this child. Lucy's face released the tension that was once there and filled back up with a glow. Walking towards him, she placed a hand on his own and squeezed. Before she could speak, Max butted in.

"You'll be fine, Judy! You have enough spunk, creativity, motivation and devotion to concur the task of parenting." Jude looked over at his friend and gave him the most pathetic smile he had ever attempted in his life.

"Look," Lucy's voice directed Jude's attention back to her. She pulled his hand gently and placed it over her stomach. Jude half expected to feel a bump or perhaps even a kick from the fetus inside but knew it was certainly too early to think of such. "I know why you're scared. You don't have to be like him." This was another thing Jude loved about his one and only. Lucy was the only person that could read his mind with ease. Molly was never able to do this. Of course she could detect when he was upset but as guessing the reason why she always came up empty handed.

"Why did you leave?" Jude's excitement that had taken over was slowly deteriorating from his soul. His mind was utter chaos. There was so much to be happy over, so much to be upset over and definitely not to mention all that there was to be angry about. Lucy had left him with no warning or reason when he had every right to know that she was carrying his child.

"I was scared." Lucy said, annoyed. She didn't want to fall back into this conversation. At least not right now. Thankfully, Jude's cluttered mind shifted to something else and left that part to maneuver to the back.

Jude sighed and removed his hand from her stomach, staring down at the floor.

"Aren't you happy, Jude?" Lucy asked.

"Of course." Jude began to slide from underneath his jacket and tossed it onto the bed. Lucy felt almost offended. His mood was changing with the wind and it was making her feel the same way. A roller coaster of emotions. It was not surprising but she had wished for a better reaction. Jude leaned down and pecked Lucy's soft lips, closing his eyes as he held onto the kiss. Her lips tasted of vanilla and was slightly salty from potato chips she had munched on earlier.

"I'm sorry. It's just. . . a lot to swallow at the moment. Ye' should be able to understand, right?" His voice quivered. "It's a lot for me too." She replied, her lips still brushed against his own as they spoke.

"I'm going to go freshen up. We'll tell the others and go out to celebrate, okay?" Jude attempted to enlighten the moment with a promise of a night out and a sweet smile. Lucy nodded and smiled in return. Jude patted Max's shoulder before exiting towards the bathroom. As he was about to enter the bathroom, he turned to look back at the two who were preparing to leave.

"Lucy?" Jude called out. She turned to him with a puzzled look wiped across her face.

"Have ye' told your mum?"


	4. Chapter 4

"This is so exciting!" Prudence piped up before taking a bite of a french fry. Everyone huddled at one table to eat dinner at the old Ma and Pa restaurant a few blocks down from their apartment. "What do you want to have? A boy or a girl?" She shoved the rest of the fry into her mouth as she stared at Lucy, eagerly awaiting her answer.

Lucy laughed and shrugged sheepishly, turning to look at Jude. "I don't know. As long as the baby is healthy I'm happy."

"Now there's a smart girl." Sadie chipped in, pointing towards the young blond with her fork. "That's exactly what she should be concerned about. The health, not the gender."

Max leaned back in the chair and put his arm around Jude, tilting him in his chair to bring him closer. "If this lad right here and my hell-on-wheels sister is having a child what they should _really_ be concerned about is whether we're going to have a Hell Raiser on our hands."

Lucy smirked and picked up a fry, hitting Max directly in the nose. "The baby is your blood to, ya' know. If it acts up in anyway I'm blaming it on you." Max huffed, waving an uninterested hand.

Max let go of Jude and allowed him to sit back straight into his chair. "It may be true that I am louder with my actions and trouble making but Jude is on the same page as I am. Anyways, he's the biological sperm donor. If anyone should be blamed, it should be him." Jude snarled playfully and slugged Max in the arm before returning to his meal.

"On a more serious note," JoJo said as he stared Lucy and Jude down. "How do you plan to support this kid? Do you think you're going to be able to do this with just Jude's artwork?"

Sadie cut her eyes in JoJo's direction, slightly annoyed with his way of being blunt. Jude licked his lips and could only shrugged.

"I'm sure they'll figure it out." Max said to avoid serious talk at the dinner table. "They both have their heads on their shoulders pretty well, right?" Max looked at them both as his eyes seemed to be sending signals to agree. Lucy and Jude nodded as they peered over at the others. JoJo left it alone after the subliminal hint from Max and Sadie and continued to eat.

"So, what did your mom say?" Prudence asked. Her voice was high-pitched and ecstatic like that of a hyper, small child. Lucy's eyes dropped and her lips tightened as she prepared to answer the question Jude had asked earlier but she had managed to avoid.

"Well, my parents don't know yet." She said quietly, hoping to say it quiet enough that Jude nor Max heard but this was impossible considering everyone had their ears open for the answer.

"You haven't told mom?!" Max exclaimed in disbelief.

"If it took me this long to break the news to the _father_ of the child, what makes you think I would have told mom already?"

Jude sighed and covered his face with both hands as a wave of sickness hit him. He knew that the Carrigan family was not going to be too delighted to hear that their soon-to-be college student daughter was pregnant with a poor ship builder from Liverpool who now made his petty cash with a sorry excuse of artwork.

Max couldn't help but grin in the middle of their distress, pointing at Lucy like a small kid about to tattle. "Mom's gonna' kill yoooou."

"This isn't time to joke, Maxwell!" Lucy barked. Max only laughed, still pointing. "For once I am going to be the golden child because I haven't brought mother home a grandchild."

"She may have mistaken the poor thing for a mangy dog anyway!" Lucy was beginning to get annoyed with Max's comments. It was true. She was scared to death as to what her parents were going to say or do. Lucy was suppose to start school in August and after begging her mother to let her stay in New York before college, she ends up pregnant. Great, she thought to herself.

Prudence giggled at the come-back and continued to eat her fries like popcorn during a movie at the cinema. Jude still kept his face buried, the worry not easing from his body.

"It shouldn't be too horrible. You're mother will just have to accept that fact that you are going to have this child. Of course she may be upset at first but then she'll be delighted that she'll have a beautiful grandchild. You two are just as cute as buttons together, this baby is going to be adorable." Sadie comforted. Jude moved his hands from his eyes and looked up at the older woman, a thin smile hiding behind his palms.

The thought of their child was a relief through all of the tension that hung over the table like fog. Visions of their future flooded his mind and could only bring joy to him in that moment. Imagining Lucy beginning to show fully underneath her maternity clothing also strangely brought Jude satisfaction.

"I'll tell mom this week. I just need to work up the courage. It worries me to think about what she's going to say." Lucy said with a sincere tone. Her parents were not exactly the understanding type if it didn't involve academics.

"Just promise me I can be there to hear this reaction." Max added.

"Max!" Jude and Lucy both scolded.

"What?!" Max threw both arms in the air, attempting to defend himself. He stood from his chair and walked behind Lucy, leaning down and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "You know I want to be there to help you out to. I always have done a good job at distracting mom and dad with my trouble when they've attempted to bicker at you."

Lucy sighed and reached up to pat his arm thoughtfully. "That is true, you have."

"I just have to give you a hard time, that's all." Max pecked her cheek before letting her go. "Nature is calling, I will be back." He announced before making his way to the bathroom.

"Jude is going to make a great dad, I just know it!" Prudence said while leaning over to steal a fry from his plate after engulfing all of her own. It lifted Jude's spirits to hear someone say that without any guidance from anyone else.

"Thanks, Prud." Jude said with all sincerity. Lucy smiled and patted Jude's leg. "Yeah, he will."

"Lucy, you'll make a great mom too." Prudence added.

"I hope so." Lucy took a bite of her sandwich.

As they were all exiting the restaurant to make their way back home, JoJo called Jude towards the back of the group, away from everyone.

"Listen man, I'm sorry for bringing that up at the restaurant." JoJo tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat, watching the sidewalk ahead of him.

"It's not a problem. Ye' right. Me artwork isn't enough to take care of a baby." Jude took in a deep breath and held it for some time as he strolled beside JoJo. JoJo sighed and removed a hand to place it on Jude's shoulder, making him stop walking. Jude looked over to JoJo and waited for him to speak.

"We're all had some hard times in our lives as we have learned the hard way to grow up and take care of ourselves. I just don't want your child to go through what we have all had to go through. Not saying it's bad but. ."

"I understand." Jude cut him off, nodding with agreement. "I appreciate your concern. I really do. I worry about the same thing but I know that I'm not going to put my child through what I, or any of us, had to go through. Not my kid." Jude's voice was tight with anger as he mentioned this to JoJo.

"Times are changin', Jude. Hopefully you're child _won't_ have to go through what we all have." With his piece said, JoJo continued his way towards the apartment. Jude followed slowly behind. As much as he would like to leave most of his thoughts tossed on the side of the road, they followed him like a puppy on a leash – resistant but still tagged along.


End file.
